Circuit breaker.



PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

H. P. BALL. CIRCUIT BREAKER.

-APPLIOATIOH FILED APR. 18, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

m: annals FETERS so. moraunn. WASNINGTON o c UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY PRICE BALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL INOAN- DESCENT ARC LIGHT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION.

CIRCUIT-BREAKER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No, 732,254, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed April 18, 1902. Serial N0.108,483. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY PRICE BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circuit-Breakers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in the combination, with a circuit-breaker, of a device which when the current flowing in the circuit within which it is included drops below a certain predetermined amount will act to actuate the circuitbreaker and open the circuit.

The object of my invention is to protect the generator against a reverse current, as in the case where a generator is connected for charging storage batteries, or to protect a motor against a short circuit, as in the case where a motor is actuated by a generator and the current fails and after the motor has stopped running the current suddenly reestablished.

The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device, also showing diagrammatically the coil of the circuit-breaker connected in circuit as a shunt with a generator and motors. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, also showing diagrammatically the coil of the circuit-breaker connected in series with the generator and storage batteries. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the device, illustrating the position of the switch-lever and latch when the hook of the switchlever first engages with the latch.

In the drawings, 5 indicates the base-plate; 6, metallic contact-blocks suitably secured to the base-plate. Connected to the base-plate below the contact-blocks is a bracket '7, in which is pivotally mounted the switch-lever 8. The switch -lever consists of a pair of parallel plates carrying a pivotally-mounted handle 9, provided with a hook portion 10 and a stop-shoe 11. Mounted on the switch-lever opposite the handle 9 is a spring bridge-piece 12, formed by a number of superposed springplates. The bridge-piece is adapted to coact with the contact-blocks 6 to form the main path of the current through the circuitbreaker.

Securedto the upper end of the lever Sis a carbon contact-block 13, which coacts with a similar contact-block 14 to form a shunt-path through the circuit breaker across the contact-blocks 6. The block 14 is supported by the spring-plate 15, which is connected to the upper block 6.

Situated in the upper end of the switchlever 8 is an oblong hole 16, in which is located a horizontal pin 17, carrying the roller 17, located between the plates forming the switchlever. This pin 17 is supported at its ends by the springs 18, which springs are secured at their opposite ends to the upper end of the switch-lever 8. Normally the springs 18 tend to lift the pin 17 upward, so that it shall occupy the position shown in Fig. 1 in the upper end of the slot 16.

Pivoted at the center of the upper contactblock 6 is a latch 19, the hook end of which is adapted to take over the roller 17 on the pin 17. Located under the latch 19 is shown a horizontal bar 20, (shown broken at one end in Fig. 2,) which bar, when employed in connection with a suitable actuating-magnet, as illustrated in my former patent, No. 686,918, will act when an overload exists in the circuit within which the circuit-breaker is included to raise the latch 19 and release the switch-lever 8 to open the circuit. This bar, however, forms no essential part of my present device and is shown and referred to simply for the purpose of illustrating 110w a circuit-breaker of the present type, designed to be actuated when a decrease in the electromotive force or current of the circuit occurs, may also be employed in connection with a device to open the circuit when an overload exists.

The circuit-breaker as described is that 9 which I prefer to use 5 but manifestly any other form of circuit-breaker may be used.

I will now describe the device which I use in connection with the circnit-breaker and which will actuate the circuit-breaker to 5 open the circuit when the electromotive force of the current on the line is reduced below a predetermined amount.

Projecting from the base-plate 5, above the circuitbreaker, are the studs 21, and [O0 secured to and carried by these studs are the angular pole pieces 22. Located between and fixed to the pole-pieces is a metallic core 23, around which is wound a magnet-coil 24:, which when the device is to be connected in circuit as a shunt, as in' Fig. 1, is made of a fine wire, or when to be connected in series, as in Fig. 2, of a coarse wire or solenoidal bar of copper.

Located over the horizontal portions of the pole-pieces 22 is a plate-armature 25, carrying in its ends the bolts 26. These bolts are situated in openings 27 in the pole-pieces 22 and serve to limit the upward movement of the armature, which movement may be regulated by adjusting the nuts 28 upon the bolts 26.

Secured to and depending from the armature is a rod 29, which rod passes through an opening in the strap 30, secured below the pole-pieces 22. Connected to the lower end of the rod 20 is a square eye 31, which takes over a pin 32, projecting laterally from the latch 19. This eye has a certain vertical depth which is provided for the purpose of permitting the pin 32 to rise in the eye without actuating the rod 20. Thiseye is, however, not essential and is only employed in connection with the bar 20 when the device is designed to be operated by annnder or an over load. The rod 2fl may be connected through any other means to the'latch 19.

Arranged in the bottom of the strap is an adjusting-screw 33, and situated between the head of this screw and the bottom of the armature 25, surrounding the rod 29, is a spiral spring'Set. This spring tends to raise the armature 25 against the pull of the polepieces 22.

The operation of my device is as follows: WVhen no current is passing through the circuit-breaker, the latch 10, red 29, and armature 25 are pushed upward to the highest position permitted by the bolts 26 under the action of the spring 34:. Consequently when the handle 9 is thrown upward and while the device is being closed the hook end 10 bears upon the forward end of the latch 19, pushing it downward and carrying the pin 17 to the lowest position in the slot 16 and the armature 25 against its pole-pieces. Contact at the same time is made between the bridge-piece 12 and contact-blocks 6 and between the carbon contacts 13 and 14. As the circuit is es tablished through the circuit breaker the pole-pieces 22 of the magnet hold the armature 25, which carries the rod 29, so far down that no upward traction is made upon the latch 19. Upward traction, however, is made upon the roller and pin 17 by the springs 18, which draws the roller under the hook end of the latch 19, and thereby holds the switchlever in the closed position. Movement of the hook 1O inward is limited by the shoe 11 on the handle 9 impinging upon the side plates of the switch-lever 8. The circuit-breaker will remain latched so long as the current traversm g the magnet-coils 24 1s maintained above a predetermined amount. lVhen the current falls below this amount, the attraction of the pole-pieces 22 for the armature 25 is diminished, at which time the spring 34 exerts its force, lifts the rod 29 and the latch 19, thereby releasing the switch lever S, which is thrown open to break the circuit under the action of the spring bridge-piece 12. The handle 9, beingthrown forward, drops by grav ity and carries with it the hook 10.

I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the specific mechanism described constituting the circuit-breaker or that constituting the device for actuating the circuitbreaker, as very many changes may be made in the mechanical construction of such devices without departing from the intent of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. An underload circuit-breaker, compris ing contact-blocks, a pivoted switch-lever earrying a spring bridge-piece, a pivoted hook, and a resilientlysupported pin; a pivoted latch which coacts with the pin on the switchlever, and means for raising the latch when the current transmitted falls below a predetermined amount.

2. An underload circuit-breaker, comprising contact-block's, a pivoted switch-l ever carrying a spring bridge-piece, a pivoted hook, a resiliently supported vertically movable pin, a latch adapted to coact with said pin, and a spring-actuated device adapted to move the latch whenthe current falls below a predetermined amount.

3. In an underload circuit breaker, the combination of a pivoted switch-lever, a handle carrying a hook pivoted to said lever, a transversely-arranged pin adapted to have a vertical movement in said switch-lever, a resilient device forsupporting said pin, and a pivoted latch which coacts with said pin to hold the lever in a closed position.

4. An underload circuit-breaker, comprising a switch-lever, a latch therefor, means carried by the lever for acting upon the latch when the lever is moved to close the circuitbreaker, a device on said lever adapted to coact with said latch to lock the lever in a closed position, and means for releasing the latch when the current transmitted falls be low a predetermined amount.

5. An underload circuit-breaker, comprising a switch-lever, a latch therefor, means carried by the lever for acting upon the latch when the lever is moved to the closed position, a resilientlymounted device on said lever adapted to coact with said latch to lock the lever in a closed position, and means for re leasing the latch when the current transmitted falls below a predetermined amount.

6. An underload circuit-breaker, comprising a switch-lever, a latch therefor, a springactuated rod connected to said latch, an armature connected to said rod, and a magnet which when traversed by a current will overcome the tension of the spring and force the rod out of engagement with the latch, but will permit engagement of the rod with the latch to lift it when the current falls below a normal amount.

7. An under-load circuit-breaker, comprising a switch-lever, having a vertically-disposed slot in its upper end, a horizontallydisposed resiliently-supported pin in said slot, a latch adapted to coact with said pin to lock the lever in a closed position, and means for lifting the latch.

8. An underload circuit-breaker, comprising a switch-lever, a resiliently-supported pin carried by said switch-lever, a resiliently-supported latch adapted to coact with said pin on said switch-lever to lock the switch-lever in a closed position, and means carried by the HENRY PRICE BALL.

Witnesses:

EDWARD M. GERRY, LOUIS WINTNER. 

